The Royals’ Raul Mondesi scampered across home plate in front of Tigers catcher James McCann on a single by Cheslor Cuthbert in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game at Kauffman Stadium. John Sleezerjsleezer@kcstar.com

The Royals’ Raul Mondesi scampered across home plate in front of Tigers catcher James McCann on a single by Cheslor Cuthbert in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game at Kauffman Stadium. John Sleezerjsleezer@kcstar.com

Royals showcase speed, Wade Davis bounces back in 5-2 victory over the Tigers

The aesthetic of a baseball franchise cannot be distilled into one game or one inning or even one moment. Not entirely, of course. The game of baseball is too complex for these kind of generalities.

But if you were attempting to explain the philosophy of the Royals under general manager Dayton Moore, you could do a lot worse than the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday night at a sold-out Kauffman Stadium.

In a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers — a win in which franchise cornerstone Eric Hosmer set a career high in homers and homegrown starter Yordano Ventura recorded a quality start — the most Royal moment of the evening was a three-batter sequence involving turbo speed and timely hitting.

With a 2-1 lead and two outs in the inning, Raul Mondesi and Jarrod Dyson laid down perfectly executed bunt singles before third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert shot a single up the middle. Mondesi sprinted around from second base, and Dyson cruised into third. The Royals’ track-relay squad came up with a precious insurance run.

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On Friday, the Royals recalled outfielder Terrance Gore from the minors, meaning that Dyson and Mondesi — perhaps two of the 10 fastest players in baseball — were now the second and third fastest players on the roster, respectively. This calculus did not include Paulo Orlando, who was once a competitive sprinter in his native Brazil, or Lorenzo Cain, who once scored from first on a single in the decisive moment of the 2015 American League Championship Series. It also didn’t include reserve outfielder Billy Burns, who is regularly ranked among the fastest men in the sport.

In 10 years with the Royals, Moore has turned speed and athleticism into the organization’s most coveted tools. On Saturday, there were moments that speed showed just how devastating it can be. There were Mondesi and Dyson, legging out bunt singles. There was Gore, pinch running during the eighth inning, stealing second base with ease.

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“I’ve never seen speed like that,” Hosmer said. “His stolen base tonight, it felt like he was there before the catcher even caught it.”

After three straight agonizing losses, the Royals, 70-65, stayed within striking distance in the American League wild-card race, gaining a game on division rival Detroit, 73-62. They beat Tigers rookie Michael Fulmer in the process, winning in vintage Kansas City fashion.

Hosmer turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead with a booming homer in the fourth inning, his 20th of the season. Closer Wade Davis notched his 22nd save in the ninth, just one night after blowing a lead in his return from the disabled list.

Ventura, 10-9, allowed just one run in six innings despite working through some stressful innings. The Kansas City offense opened things up with a two-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth. Yet, the most significant moment belonged to Hosmer, who reached the 20-homer threshold for the first time in his career.

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“That's what we all strive for — to get better and better each year,” Hosmer said. “I just think it came at a good time, especially today the way Fulmer was pitching. It ended up getting us a victory. Hopefully a lot more to come, with a lot more victories.”

The Royals face Detroit in an important rubber match Sunday afternoon, with right-hander Edinson Volquez starting against Detroit’s Daniel Norris. As a six-game road trip through Minnesota and Chicago looms, they can nail down a series victory against a Tigers squad still in the thick of the American League wild-card picture.

“It was a huge bounce-back day,” Hosmer said. “But tomorrow is even bigger.”

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Let’s reset: Ventura allowed 12 base runners in total, surrendering six hits and issuing six walks. Some of those walks were strategic, he said. But his command was not perfect and his delivery was inconsistent. Still, when the Tigers threatened, Ventura danced off the ropes, evading jabs and ducking punches. In all, Ventura stranded nine men on base. The most impressive escape came in the fifth.

In the span of six hitters, Ventura allowed four to reach base. None scored. Catcher Salvador Perez disposed of one by throwing out Ian Kinsler on a stolen-base attempt. With two out, Ventura induced a bases-loaded ground-out from Justin Upton. By the sixth, Ventura had thrown 105 pitches — just 53 strikes among them — and lowered his ERA to 4.22, its lowest mark since late April.

“He keeps making strides,” Yost said. “Sometimes it feels like three steps forward and one step back.

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The victory was pretty much necessary. In the span of four days, the Royals had lost twice in extra innings to the New York Yankees and then squandered a ninth-inning lead to the Tigers on Friday night. The latest loss had the additional insult of Davis blowing a save in his return from the disabled list.

On Saturday, Davis returned to the mound, taking over with one out in the ninth after rookie Brooks Pounders allowed a solo homer to Kinsler and a single to Miguel Cabrera.

Davis recorded his first save since July 22. Just one night after getting knocked around in the ninth, Davis was in no mood to rest.

“I wanted to pitch,” Davis said. “I would have been fine if we scored 10 or 12, but I definitely wanted to get back out no matter when it was, to get some outs and get my feet underneath me.”

In the seventh, Royals manager Ned Yost turned the game over to his bullpen. Joakim Soria worked a scoreless seventh before Kelvin Herrera came on in the eighth. Yost twice flirted with using left-hander Matt Strahm, but each time, Strahm returned to his seat in the bullpen.

By the end, though, the formula worked: A little power, a lot of speed, the bullpen in the final innings. By the end, Davis stood inside a Royals’ clubhouse that had turned into a temporary nursery, with young children scurrying around the carpet.